A Mutually Beneficial Marriage
by 1940spectrum
Summary: "We get married, I get the promotion. You get the money to pay off your debts." Business man Bellamy Blake desperately wants the position of CEO, something he will need the help of doctor Clarke Griffin to obtain. He proposes they fake a relationship, and in return, he'll pay her. But at what point does the charade become real?
1. Chapter 1

As I drive across town, I wonder just what in the hell I'm doing. I receive a random call from a stranger asking to meet me and I just decide to follow through? Why could I have thought this was a good idea? My mind is now playing out twenty different scenarios of how things could go wrong. Maybe it was just curiosity; the man said he had a deal that could benefit me.

I walk into the small cafe I was instructed to meet him at and realize I have no idea who I am looking for. All I know is his name, Bellamy Blake. I inspect the people sitting at the table. No one seems too suspicious, although you can't always tell.

"Miss Griffin?"

I spin around as I hear my name being called. The source of the noise is coming from a table for two, so I walk cautiously closer and get a better look at who I presume to be Bellamy Blake. He appears to be slightly older than I am, perhaps 28. He has flawless olive skin and dark curly hair, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't find him very attractive. He is also dressed very formally in a suit and tie. I look down at my sweater and leggings; I hadn't realized this was that serious of a business meeting.

"Alright, what is this all about?" I ask as I sit down. Mr. Blake folds his hands.

"I'm sorry if the circumstances of us meeting made you feel uncomfortable. The utmost secrecy of this is very necessary as you will see." What is he on about? Some sort of spy mission?

"First, let me tell you a little about myself'; it will give you a more accurate picture." I nod, as Mr. Blake continues, lowering his voice.

"I consider myself married to my work. I am incredibly dedicated, and I put as much time as I possibly can into it. I don't care much for money, even though I have plenty of it, and I'm not interested in having a relationship. It is my goal to be CEO of the company I work for and eventually conglomerate it with several other companies." He looks carefully at me to make sure I am catching all of this.

"I recently found out that at the end of next year the current CEO will be retiring, but I will be looked over as a replacement because they want a "family man" type of person. They need someone who not only is dedicated to their work, but also their personal life." He glances at me to see if I understand where he is going with this. Realizing that I don't, he continues.

"If I lose this chance for CEO, I might have to wait twenty years till the next one retires. I can't let this opportunity pass me by." His voice gets quieter. "I think we can both benefit each other. If we get married-" My eyes widen and I choke briefly on my water.

He notices my outburst, but continues. "I will no doubt receive the promotion, but I will pay you a considerable amount of money per month we must fake a relationship." I cross my arms, recovered from his preposterous idea. "Is this some weird form of prostitution? Paying me to be married to you." Mr. Blake shakes his head.

"Of course not. From the outside, our relationship may look like normal, but it will be strictly business. No sexual relations."

"What makes you think that I of all people would do this? How in the hell did you even find me? I don't even know who you are."

He gives me a calm look. "I happen to know you through my work. Last year you were the one who came to give the company physicals. When I was faced with this predicament, I started digging into who would be a viable option for helping me, and I recalled you."

I scoff slightly. This man seems like a total robot, and more than a little odd. He leans closer.

"I happen to know that you have a substantial amount of debt. Med school isn't cheap, huh? Especially when you aren't in as high of a pay grade as you thought you would be." His words don't seem threatening, but somehow concerned.

"We can mutually benefit each other." He looks very desperate at this point.

"We get married, I get the promotion. You get the money to pay off your debts."

I sit back in my chair. I can't believe I'm actually considering this. Is is completely reckless of me to consider a marriage simply for the money?

"Fine."

"You'll do it?"

Mr. Blake practically leaps forward and hugs me.

"Ah, ah, ah." I cut him off. "I'll consider it. Give me a couple days to think it through." I give him my phone and he puts his number in.

"I'll call you when I've decided."


	2. Chapter 2

Three days later, I find myself calling Bellamy. I don't have much time to collect my thoughts as he picks up on the second ring. "Miss Griffin? Have you decided?" His voice is very anxious, I can tell. This is obviously very important to him.

I bite my lip. "Not quite. I want to see it all written down, on paper. Documents, licenses, the nitty gritty details. I want to see your plan. I'll be able to give you an answer then." I can only make a decision once I see it all laid out. How else am I supposed to see just what he expects out of this deal? It's important we're on the same page.

He pauses. "Alright. When's the soonest we can meet?" I check the time, and consider my plans for the evening. It's only 5:30, and all I was planning on doing tonight was watching reruns of Criminal Minds.

"Will tonight work for you?"

"I'll be over in a hour." He replies eagerly.

"Bring wine." I add as an afterthought right before I hang up. There is no way I can deal with this completely sober.

Bellamy Blake shows up exactly on time with an expensive looking bottle of chardonnay in one hand, and a briefcase in the other. "Come on in." I say halfheartedly. As he as already shown, he has full knowledge of my financial situation, but it's still a little embarrassing to have him at my sparse apartment. He steps in and gives the area a once-over, but thankfully doesn't comment. I'm sure it's much below his standards.

"I'll go get some glasses." I quickly walk out of his sight and into the kitchen. Only after rummaging through my cupboards do I realize I don't even have wine glasses. Well, I suppose we'll have to make do. I return back to the living room with two of my nicer glasses, and find Bellamy sitting awkwardly on my threadbare couch. He takes the cup gratefully and pours us both a sizable amount.

"So, you have all the paperwork?" I ask as I savor the taste of the white wine. He nods, setting his glass down.

"Where do you want these?" He asks awkwardly, obviously noticing the distinct lack of a table.

"Just spread them out on the floor." It's not like there's any other option, and I think it'll be a funny to watch the serious man in his serious suit on his knees like a child. Carefully opening the briefcase, he sets a whole slew of papers out on the floor. Contracts, alimony agreements, transfer of funds, an official looking timeline, wedding plans, and countless other minor details. I sit down on the floor beside him.

"Damn. You really put a lot of time into this."

He gives me a serious look. "I care immensely about what I do." I raise my eyebrows. "I'll say." I pick up a paper that talks exchange of funds.

"Okay. I'm a doctor, I don't know what in the hell this stuff means. Walk me through how this will work. Explain what all will be required and what I will get in return." I ask, facing him.

Despite his position on the floor, Bellamy still manages to be stoic and professional. "We will set up an entirely fake relationship. Act like we've been dating, go on dates, etc. We'll let it gradually seep into our lives, casually mention it to friends, family, coworkers. After a decent amount of time, I'll propose to you. Then, a few months after that, we will get married. It will be completely real in everything but our feelings towards one another."

I scrunch my forehead slightly. It all just seems so crazy. Wasn't I just saying a week ago how I wasn't planning on getting married for awhile?

"The basic payment will be ten thousand dollars per month, put into an offshore account until the marriage is absolved and it can go into yours without seeming suspicious." My eyes widen. That's a whole lot more than I make right now.

"He continues. "In addition, everything you receive during our relationship will be yours to keep. I'm sure there will be more than one occasion where it would be appropriate for a doting husband to get his wife an expensive gift. Of course, also when we are married you will be free to use my bank account so long as you don't go shopping spree happy."

The words are out of my mouth before I even have another chance to think about it. "I'll do it."

Bellamy looks at me sincerely. "Thank you. It means the world to me." I nod. It's not like this isn't a game changer for me too.

"So how long have we been dating? How did we start dating? What's the story we're going with? " I pull out the timeline paper. "This gives a very cut and dry perspective on our relationship. We're going to need to have details; people will ask." I give him a pointed look. "Well?" For once, he doesn't seem so sure.

"I hadn't really thought of that." He answers sheepishly.

"Okay." I sit back against the couch and take a long sip of my chardonnay. "We first met when I was giving physicals at ArkTech. We somehow hit it off and exchanged numbers. At first we were super casual, but then eventually we realized we had a lot in common and got along well. We went out a couple times and became official today."

I look up to see Bellamy studying my face. "Okay."

I brush him off. "Will you be able to remember that?" He nods. "Yeah."

I smile as much as I can muster. "Good." I gather up all the documents and give them back to him. "You'll need to make sure no one ever sees these. Get a safe and keep them in it or burn them. This would ruin us."

I feel suddenly very empty. "Are you sure what we're about to pull is right? We have to lie to everyone."

Bellamy stands up as he places the papers in his briefcase. "We're doing this for us, Clarke." I don't miss that this is the first time he has used my first name. "We're not hurting anyone, in fact we are helping each other. It's not wrong, it's just unorthodox." As he says these words he heads toward the door. "It's going to be alright."

I shut the door behind him and hope he's right.

AN:

Whoa! I seriously stunned by all the positive feedback already! I definitely have plans to continue, so don't worry. I'll try to update at least semi-frequently, but no promises as I a sporadic person. As for the POV, at least for the first half it will be told from Clarke's perspective, but as things progress, Bellamy's might pop up. Thank you for reading! (Also, sorry the first time it uploaded this chapter things got a bit screwy, hopefully it's all better now.)


	3. Chapter 3

The following Friday after Bellamy and I "became official," he calls and asks if I want to go out that night. I accept, naturally. I mean, could I really say no? Besides, it means I don't have to figure out any dinner plans. He tells me that we're going to go to a fancy Italian restaurant, I should wear something nice, and he'll pick me up at 8:00.

I pull out one of the only nice dresses I own, a little black number with a sweetheart neckline. I smooth it over with my hands and recall the last time I wore it. I was so blissfully unaware then. I was happy. Managing to shake myself out of mournful nostalgia, I slip on a pair of black stilettos.

True to his word and character, Bellamy shows up at my door exactly at eight. He kisses me softly on the cheek, and guides me to his car.

The ride to L'àncora is almost uncomfortably quiet. I attempt to think of something to say, or some way to connect with him, but he doesn't seem like he really cares much about us being friends. This is very much a business transaction to him. This worries me though, if we can't connect in private at all, how will we be able to fake affection in front of many others?

"So, Clarke, how is your work at the hospital going?" Bellamy smiles at me, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. I finish off my small bite of Alfredo and dab my lips with a napkin. "Fairly normal." I pause. What else am I supposed to say? Nothing odd has happened in the past week. "Last night a man got in a bar fight and had a bottle smashed over his head. I spent the night picking out glass and then stitching him up." He nods thoughtfully. "That must have been tough." I shrug. "I'm licensed enough to be doctor, but they have me doing things a nurse could." There is a slight hint of bitterness in my voice, but Bellamy doesn't really pick up on it.

"How was work for you this week?" I take a slice out of my chicken. Dear God, we sound like such an awkward couple, I hope none of the waiters are listening to our conversation. "It's been good." He says, taking a sip of wine. "The usual." I am going to knock myself out.

On the way out of the restaurant, Bellamy suggests we go back to his apartment. "It'd be best if you got used to it, you'll be spending lots of time there. You know, keeping up appearances." I nod. "Yeah."

He lives in one of the swankiest buildings in the Upper West Side, and he has the penthouse. When he said he didn't care about money, I didn't realize that meant he was super rich. We take the elevator up to the top floor in silence, but I can see the slight bit of pride behind his eyes. He may not care about things, but he does care about status, and this apartment is clearly a sign of it.

The door opens to a full kitchen; a stovetop, oven, refrigerator, even an island. I think of my small kitchenette. This I could definitely get used to. Straight from the kitchen is the living room, and it is certainly a stellar one. I walk, star-struck into the sunken-in area. It has two gorgeous couches forming a 'v' that face the huge bay window. The view overlooks the city, and I realize just how far up I am. The people going by look so small and insignificant.

"Would you like to see the rest?" Bellamy ask, interrupting my thoughts. I nod. "Yeah." To the right is fully furnished guest room - where I assume I will stay when I sleepover - and a bathroom. To the left, oh man, to the left though, is the crown jewel of this apartment: the master bedroom. The room itself is huge, complete with a king-size bed that has bed posts and curtains. It leads to a walk in closet, one that I realize is mostly full of suits as I paw through it. The closet also connects to a full bathroom, the kind that has a bath and a shower. I feel like a kid in a candy store, amazed with everything.

"I can't believe you live here." I mutter out after the tour. Bellamy shrugs. "It's not really a big deal." I scoff. "Yeah, okay." I look around. Everything even matches nicely.

"Did you decorate this yourself?" For the first time, he laughs. "No, my sister. She wanted to make sure things looked nice in case I had guests." I sit down on the couch and pat the spot next to me. Bellamy reluctantly sits down.

"I think we need to do a review of today." He raises an eyebrow. I roll my eyes. "You don't seriously think our first date went well, did you?"

He makes a noncommittal noise. "Bellamy, we could barely even make small talk. We don't know anything about each other."

"I suppose." I nod excessively. "Uh yeah!"

I pick at my nails slightly. "Look, I just think we need to get to know each other better, get more comfortable with each other."

"Alright."

A hour and a half later, we've quizzed each other on any possible thing we could think of. Favorite color, movies, music, books, hobbies, high school experiences, even briefly exes. That is one I would prefer to glaze over.

"Bellamy?" I ask, looking down at my lap.

"Yeah?"

"I think we should get our first kiss out of the way now." I don't look up to see his reaction.

"We're bound to have to do it in public sometime, so I think it'd be better to have a little practice now." I sound so awkward. God, I'm just doing it for the sake of the charade.

"Okay." His answer takes me by surprise. I suppose he would do anything to help us stay airtight.

We both look up at each other and there is a beat of silence until we both lean forward. There is a moment of bobbing and weaving, until Bellamy just grabs my face and plants one on me.

AN:

Look, another chapter! Thank you for the kind reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

"Wait, what? You actually went on a date last night? Like you are actually dating someone? Clarke Griffin, who had sworn off dating is actually in a relationship?" I laugh. "Oh, shut up, Wells. I am capable of having feelings for someone."

There is a pause on the other side of the line. "He must be special, to have changed your mind."

I conjure what I think to be a romantic voice. "Yeah, he really is."

"So, tell me about this Bellamy Blake. What makes you like him so much?" Wells asks, trying to glaze over the moment of slight awkwardness.

I grip the phone tighter. This is the real test, right? To fool my best friend into thinking I'm in love with Bellamy. "He's unbelievably handsome." I gush. "He's tall, has beautiful dark curly hair, and he's muscular too. And always well-dressed." I smirk a little at that. Yes, he's always well dressed; I've never seen him in anything more casual than dress pants and a collared shirt. "But more than, he is incredibly sweet and dedicated. He makes me feel special and cherished, but not smothered. He cares enough about me to know I need time by myself."

I can almost hear the smile in Wells voice when he replies. "He sounds great."

"He really is. He's exactly what I need. I wish you could meet him." It kind of sucks that Wells lives across the country. There are times it would just be nice to have my best friend right beside me. I wonder what he would think if he knew the truth. Would he think I was being completely foolish? Probably. Part of me really wants to tell him. It's hard to keep secrets when we are so close.

"Maybe I will when I visit for Christmas." His statement is a test, I can tell. He's curious if I think this will be long term as it's only July now, "Yeah, of course!" I plaster a smile on regardless that he can't even see me. "I'm sure you would get along well."

I hang up the phone and take another sip of my coffee. Thankfully I still have another 20 minutes of break till I have to get back to work, but after that I have five more hours of checking up on patients, changing sheets, and administering medicine. Pulling the late shift is not a fun time. Raven Reyes, a fellow nurse, pops her head into the break room. "Your boyfriend is here." I blink for a second. "Bellamy's here?" Raven smiles. "Yeah. Brought you food or something." She lowers her voice. "Why didn't you tell me you were dating a hot piece of ass? Damn girl, I'm jealous." I laugh. "Just send him in."

Half a minute later, Bellamy saunters in and I stand up to great him. He kisses me softly on the cheek. "Hey Clar." "You came to see me?" He shrugs. "You mentioned having a late work night tonight, so I brought you some of those power bars you really like and orange juice." I am taken aback for a second. "Thanks."

The next couples weeks pass without incident. We go on several more dates, always to fancy places of course, and things become slightly less awkward. Bellamy becomes a little less stiff and formal, and I feel more comfortable around him. Which is good, because tonight is going to be the first night I spend the night at his apartment.

We've been dating "officially" for over a month, so it's time that we "sleep together." Part of me wonders just how necessary faking all of this is, but I'm not going to take the risk. If anyone suspects that we aren't really into each other, we're done for.

Instead of going out for dinner, we decide to just get drinks at a local bar and that head back to his place. I am still amazed by the beauty of his apartment, and I just stare at everything for a little while. "Do whatever you need to," Bellamy says. "I'm going to be working on some stuff in my room." I nod, still entranced by the view. "Yeah."

I sit on the couch reading for awhile, and then pull out my laptop and pay some bills online.

After a few minutes of that, I remember that I brought stuff with me, so I grab my bag and head into Bellamy's bathroom. I decided it would be best to foolproof things now rather than later. I clear out one of his drawers and put in some tampons, Advil, a half empty bottle of shampoo, conditioner, a razor, and some other various things like hair ties and birth control pills.

"What are you doing?" I turn around and am shocked to see Bellamy for once in something other than formal wear. He's wearing a plain white shirt and plaid red pajama pants, and he looks absolutely exhausted. "Did you just wake up?" I ask. He sighs. "I fell asleep at my computer. So what are you doing with all this stuff?"

I roll my eyes, surprised he couldn't put it together. "Making sure we keep up appearances. You have a maid, don't you? She would expect to see some of this stuff here."

"Oh right. Yeah. Carry on. I'll just use the other bathroom." He pads back to his room.

The next morning I wake up surprisingly fully rested and ready to go to work. Because we both have to go into work relatively at the same time, we get ready in silence in the various areas of the apartment. After I am fully ready, I head to the kitchen in search of breakfast.

I knock loudly on Bellamy's door. "What? What do you want?" Bellamy asks crossly on the other side. "Do you have any food anywhere in this bloody apartment?" The door opens. Bellamy stands there shirtless, his hair still dripping wet. I swallow slowly and pry my eyes off of his body. "There is literally no food in your kitchen. Your fridge has maybe three bottles of wine in it, but your cupboards are completely empty. What the hell? What do you eat?"

Bellamy walks to the kitchen, seemingly unbelieving that he doesn't have any food. After searching through and realizing I was right, he looks at me sheepishly. "Sorry. Guess I just haven't gotten groceries in awhile." I roll my eyes. "I'll say."

We stop at bakery on the way to work, and then Bellamy drops me off. Raven and Jasper, another guy I work with, meet me at the door. "So how was he?" They both ask eagerly. I feign ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You went out with Bellamy last night, and he dropped you off at work this morning. I know you spent the night at his house." Raven persists. "You know, I'm hurt you didn't tell me you were seeing anyone." Jasper pouts. I roll my eyes. "You guys are so dramatic."

Raven grabs my arm. "I've seen that man's muscles and the way you two look at each other. I bet you had crazy hot kinky sex, right?" I bite my lip, how exactly do I approach this? "I knew it!" She shouts. Apparently I don't really have to.

"Shhhh!" I whisper. "I don't need the whole hospital to know about my sex life." Jasper and Raven dissolve into a fit of squees. "I'm so happy for you!" Jasper says. I can tell the words that he won't say. Given the past and blah blah blah. I smile. "Yeah I'm very happy."

**AN:**

Sorry this chapter is a little filler-y, but I'm going to try to post another one today. I might eventually go back and write more little bits that fit into the story, but for now, I think I'm going to try to keep it moving. Thanks for reading, lovelies!


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait, you actually have a girlfriend?"

"Ah, shut up 'Tavia."

"She must be super low maintenance, because you would be like the worst boyfriend."

"How entirely supportive of you. Thank you, really."

Her voice dances with amusement. "What's she like? Is she crazy? I mean, she must be to be into you."

I roll my eyes. "She's...enchanting. She has this light about her; she just draws you in. I love her. I really do."

Octavia completely buys into it, all the mocking gone from her voice. "God Bell. I didn't think you would ever get serious about a chick. That's awesome."

I pause, then decide to tell her. "I'm going to propose tomorrow." I can hear the shock on the other side of the telephone.

"What the hell? You were this serious about someone, and waited to tell me about her right before you were about to propose?"

"Well, I didn't know if it was serious or not." It's a completely weak excuse.

"Yeah, whatever Bell." She pauses. "Seriously though, congratulations. That's awesome."

"Clarke?" Bellamy is laying out on one of the couches, and I am on the other. It's probably about two in the morning; we went out drinking last night, because it's one of the things we both enjoy doing together. Not much pressure to talk or say anything because our words flow freely.

"Yeah?" My head pounds slightly. I didn't drink that much, but nevertheless, enough to feel hungover.

"Do you want to go to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens tomorrow?"

I snicker childishly. "Don't you mean today?"

Bellamy's hand flops out. "You know what I mean."

I feel a tickle in my throat and cough loudly. "Yeah. I mean, yeah I'll go to the gardens with you tomorrow. Sounds nice."

We fall into a silence just like that, sprawled out on our respective couches still wearing our clothes from yesterday. Just before I drift off I whisper. "I'm glad we're friends, Bell." And I mean it. I do feel like we have somehow become friends. Even if it's a little rocky. "Me too." Bellamy's voice rumbles in return.

The gardens almost seem lit by magic at night. The lighting makes them glow iridescently and for half a minute, I forget. I forget all the shit that went down Finn; I forget about my damaged relationship with my mother; and I forget that I'm faking my relationship with Bellamy. I feel his heat as he walks by side, and I press my hand into his.

We walk just like that for several minutes. For once, it's not an awkward quiet, just peaceful. We make it to the center of the gardens, and we stand there, looking out at the flowers and the other people. There are parents with kids, other couples walking around, even a group of friends. Life just always continues to progress, doesn't it? We move from one stage to another and nothing stays the same.

I rub my eyes. Obviously I'm getting a little tired if I'm having such deep thoughts. Bellamy turns and faces me, grabbing my other hand,

"Clarke, you have brought sunshine to my life in a way no one else could. You are beautiful, sarcastic, funny, and a caring individual. I-I love you." He pauses, and I can see a small crowd of people watching us. I feel it in my bones; I know what he is about to say. "Will you marry me?" He lets go of my hands, and reaches into his pocket, going down to one knee.

I summon as many fake tears as I can. "Yes! Oh my god, yes!"

After Bellamy and I become engaged, I spend the night at his house. I lay in bed all night looking at my ring. It's absolutely gorgeous, a big sapphire gem with tiny diamonds on the sides, and it was his grandmother's. It's the one thing I will be giving back to him once our "relationship" is over, but I still can't believe he gave it to me. It seems like something you would only want to give to your actual fiance, but I guess we need to keep up appearances.

I wake up the next morning and immediately head to the shower. Bellamy has several, but I use the main one because all my things are in there, plus it's the biggest one. And besides, he wakes up at an ungodly hour, and already took a shower. It also works out nicely because the closet connects to it, and I have a few things in here, considering the times I spend the night here. I usually go straight to work from here, so it makes sense, not just for appearance sake. I quickly dress in black pencil skirt and a nice white top and finish getting ready.

As I near toward the kitchen, I smell something delicious. Bellamy is at the stove, in a white tank and sweatpants, cooking what looks like pancakes and bacon.

"You're not ready for work?" Has Bellamy been body swapped? He doesn't usually do things like this. And since when did he just casually wear tanks around his house? And more importantly, has he been working out? His arms look especially toned.

He wipes his hands and hands me a plate. "No, I don't have to be in till later. I thought I could make you breakfast." I smile as I sit down.

"Well, thank you." I wait for him to sit down too, and then we begin eating. "I didn't know you could cook." I say between bites of pancake. Bellamy nods.

"It was something I had to learn when my mother died." I bite my lip. Of course.

"Well this is delicious."

"What time to you have to be at work?" He asks. I look at the clock. It's 7:30.

"A half hour."

"Let me call you a car."

"Okay." I have sorta become accustom to his lavish lifestyle, but things like this always surprise me. It does make sense, I don't have a car, a cab would take too long, and Bellamy doesn't like it when I take the subway, but it sometimes feels so strange. He calls someone quickly, and before I know it, the car is here. I open the door and we kiss briefly.

"Have a good day at work, Clar. I'll pick you up?" I nod.

"Alright. Bye babe."

On the car ride over, a weird sort of haze passes over me. The lines are already blurring between fake and real and it's making me uncomfortable.

I spend my day receiving congratulations and gushing about Bellamy. Even some of my patients ask me extensive questions about my fiance. It's a bit tiring actually. I can only repeat the same things so many times before I get very tired of it. How do actually engaged people do it? Thankfully, I have short shift today, and before I know it, Bellamy pops by to pick me.

"Hi babe," he says as he kisses my cheek. I sense the receptionist and a few other nurses watching us. I grab his hand. 'Clarke!" Someone calls out. I turn around. "Oh, hi Roma." She smiles over at Bellamy and I. "Is that your fiance?" Bellamy grabs my hand tighter.

"Yes, I am." He answers. Roma smiles brightly. "You guys are so cute. Congrats."

"How was today?" Bellamy asks as we drive away in his car. I shrug. "It was alright. Everyone asked a million questions." He nods. "Understandable. I put a picture of us on my desk today, a couple people noticed and I told them we are engaged. They seemed quite surprised." I laugh, my plight similar.

"Nobody at the hospital said it to my face, but I heard people whispering about it, if I was a gold digger, or if you were mentally handicapped, or covering up being gay, or if I was pregnant." Bellamy shakes his head. "People are so stupid. Obviously we are in love."He says sarcastically.

There is a pause. "Clarke, when I don't have my driver take you, how do you get to work?"

"Umm, I either ride the subway or walk. It's not too far from my apartment." We pull into the specific lot for his apartment.

"I want you to give you one of my cars." Wait, what? Before I have a chance to speak, he continues.

"I have three different cars, and I want you to have one. It's dangerous to walk or take the subway."

I stare at him. Is he serious? Why would he give me a car? That's expensive.

"Bellamy, I can't take one of your cars. It's not right."

He raises his eyebrows. "It's not right that I have two cars I don't use hardly at all and I want to give you one?" He rolls his eyes. "God forbid I do something nice."

My brows scrunch. "Bellamy, a car is very expensive. It's not something you give to someone you don't really care about."

He looks into my eyes softly. "But I do care about you,"

Bellamy's confession of sorts weighs on my mind. That night I end up at my own apartment for one of the first times this week, and I lay in bed thinking. Was it foolish to assume that we could just fake a relationship and no real feelings would come into play? If Bellamy does legitimately care about me, it would feel even worse to get married. I twist the ring on my finger. I can't just marry someone who has feelings for me when I don't have feelings for him. That's leading on, and I won't do that. It wouldn't be fair to him, even if he knows I don't feel the same. It would be like torture, so close but yet so far.

My phone jolts me out of my thoughts. It's Bellamy.

"Hello?"

"God, Clarke, are you mad at me or something?"

I clench my teeth. "No."

He sighs. "Look, I'm sorry if you don't like the thought of me just giving you a car, but I thought we had already decided we were friends."

I pause all the mental processes going on in my head. "You want to give me the car because we're friends?"

"Uh yeah. Friends help each other. Give each other gifts."

I sigh with relief. "Yeah, okay whatever, I'll take the car." Thank god I was just overreacting.

I decide over my lunch break that I am going to surprise Bellamy at work. I know for a fact that he never leaves the office for lunch; he occasionally takes something with him, or skips till dinner. He wasn't kidding when he said he was married to his work. I run by a Chinese restaurant quickly and pick up some takeout and drive over to ArkTech.

The receptionist kindly tells me where his office is, so I easily find it and knock on the door.

"Clarke?" Bellamy hugs me quick and then kisses me hard. "You brought me lunch? That is so thoughtful, thank you." We shut the door to his office and he clears a spot on his desk. We eat while making small talk about our respective days, and Bellamy tells me about the project he's working on right now.

Once we're done, Bellamy kisses me softly, food breath and all. "I'll see you tonight?"

I nod. "Come by my apartment."

I can see eyes around the office watching us, so I grab his waist and pull him close, I give him one last kiss, this one deliberately drawn out.

"I'll see you tonight. Bring the wine."

As I walk toward the elevator, I notice another man come up to Bellamy.

"Is that your girlfriend?" I can hear the smile in his reply. "Fiance, actually."

AN:

So I've realized that this fic is mostly just a bunch of little one shot type things put together. It just seems to work better that way, at least for me writing wise. Also have you noticed I'm trying to make the chapters longer, cause I am. Anyway, hope you enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

"Clarke, there is no point in you staying in this apartment." Bellamy came to my apartment with a lot to say and no wine. "Bellamy, I just don't know if I want to give up my space yet. Once I move in, it's unbreakable." He rolls his eyes, giving me a steely look.

"So you are still waiting to give up."

"I didn't say that. Stop putting words into my mouth." God, for being a fake couple, we sure fight like a real one. "Clarke, you are wasting money on your rent, and we stay at each other's apartments anyway. It would make everything so much easier."

"I understand that. But I like living by myself. I like being able to have my own space."

"Okay, but you would have your own room at my apartment, your own shower, your own closet. Gah, you can have my closet if you really want it that bad." I sigh.

"You know we can't do that. We have to keep our things together."

"We have been engaged a month. Just move in."

I shake my head. "I'm not ready. Everything will be so much more compact. I won't be able to escape you." My words are more venomous than I intend.

"My apartment isn't exactly small. There is plenty of room. I will give you your space." Bellamy is so perfectly calm, and I can't stand it. I stand up from my spot on the couch.

"I need some time to think. I'm going to make some tea." I pad slowly to the kitchen, and look at my clothing, trying to take my mind off of things. I'm wearing a pair of comfy sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. Bellamy's hoodie. I don't even know how that happened. I guess I just put it on, not even thinking. I remember being so surprised when I first found it at the back of his closet. I couldn't believe he would own something so unprofessional. Naturally, I immediately claimed it as mine.

I shake it off. It doesn't mean anything. I mean, I guess Bellamy and I are sort of friends. I pour the hot water for myself slowly, and then put an herbal calmer bag in it. He is still sitting on the couch when I return, looking at something on his smartphone.

"I got to go." He says.

"Wait, I'm sorry. I overreacted. You don't have to go."

He shakes his head. "No, work thing. Some imbecile didn't get something done, so I have to go in and finish it."

"You have to finish it? The other guy screwed it up, why do you have to fix it. It's 11:30." Bellamy closes his bag.

"No, I volunteered to. It looks better for me. Remember, I'm trying to get a promotion?" I sight.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

I haven't talked to Bellamy since last night, so I decide to take my break super early, at 9:00. I pick up donuts at a local bakery for the people in the office, and coffee for Bellamy and I, cause I am sure he will need it.

The receptionist lets me up immediately, and I take the elevator to his floor. I get off and head toward the area where the regular cubicles are.

"Hi guys, I'm Clarke, Bellamy, err, Mr. Blakes's fiance. I brought donuts for you." I set them down on a table. "Enjoy!"

I don't have time to see their reactions as I head back toward his office. The door is shut, and the window looking out into the rest of the office is covered by a curtain. "Bellamy." I knock softly. "Bellamy?" I open the door. His head is laying on his desk, a mess of papers set out in front of him. I pull up a chair beside him. "Bellamy." I touch his arm. He jolts awake immediately.

"Uh, what?"

"Here." I thrust coffee in front of him. "Thanks Clar." He take a large sip.

"Long night?" He nods, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah. I stayed here the whole night."  
>"Oh lord." He smiles. "Yeah."<p>

"Look, Bell, about last night-" I start.

"No, look, I understand. I was wrong to push you." He says, taking my hand.

"No. I was wrong. I want to move in with you." He lights up.

"Really?"

"Yeah." He smiles.

"I can call the movers today. They could move your stuff right now. It's not like you have a lot." I glare at him.

"Sorry, it's true." A smile dances on my lips. "Yeah."

"So, today, yeah?"

"That would be fine. Like you said, it's not like I have a lot. I can probably call off work. I'm sure my boss would let me." Bellamy purses his lips, and looks at his watch.

"You know what, I hate to do this, but I'll call off work too. That way I can help you." I laugh, giving him a light shove

"It's not like you'll be that helpful, Mr. Sleepy."

We both call our bosses and get today off, and then Bellamy calls the movers as we drive to my apartment. I start packing the things I want into boxes, which surprisingly isn't much. There's no point in keeping any of my appliances or furniture, Bellamy has all the things we need. All I really pack is my clothing, keepsakes, books, and other odds and ends.

Altogether, the process only takes about 3 hours. Bellamy calls someone about the rest of the stuff in my apartment, and makes sure it goes to someone who really needs it.

Finally, at about 4:00, all of my things are put in their place.

"See that wasn't so hard." Bellamy says as I collapse on the sofa.

"I'm exhausted." I say, wrapping myself in soft throw.

He plops himself down beside me and ruffles my hair affectionately. I'm about to comment on that action when the phone rings. I wasn't even aware Bellamy had a landline.

"Let me get that." He stands up slowly and walks to the kitchen. I don't hear anything for a full minute, and then he walks back in, looking very serious.

"Who was that?" I ask, his expression worries me. "Your mother."

AN:  
>Okay so this chapter is shorter, but I had it done, so I thought, 'why not?' The stuff before this is just sorta background in a way, hopefully it will be picking up soon. Thanks for reading x<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Everything seems to freeze, and I breathe heavily. "What did she say?"

Bellamy rubs the back of his head. "She was definitely pissed, but trying to hold it together. Why didn't you tell her we were engaged? I thought you would have."

I sigh and fall back onto the couch. "It's complicated."

He walks back over to the couches and sits by my head. "How the hell did she even find out?" I ask, sitting up.

Bellamy shrugs. "She mentioned something about a coworker congratulating her."

It dawns on me. "Jaha. God, of course. My best friend would have told his dad, and he works with my mom."

"Well she is pretty angry she didn't find out firsthand. She is insisting we visit right away."

I roll my eyes. "She'll get over it." Bellamy raises his eyebrows. "You don't think we should?"

"Bellamy, she lives freaking across the country. In Washington. God. We're not going."

I look up at him, and he is staring back at me, judging my reaction.

"What happened with you and your mother?"

Anger bubbles up in me. "I don't want to talk about it. Why do you think you can just pry into my life? We're not real anything, remember?"

Bellamy's jaw twitches like he's about to lose it, but he remains composed. He clears his throat. "I just thought you might want to talk about it with someone. But if you don't that's fine."

I soften slightly. "Look, I'm sorry. We are friends, but this is something I don't talk to anyone about. It's too complicated."

He brushes it off. "It's fine. Regardless, I think we need to visit. Money is not a problem, and we can just go a weekend."

"Ughh." I exclaim. I know he is right, but I really don't want to. I haven't been home in over three years, and I really don't want to face...everything. Not just my mom, but other things. There's a reason I've left it all behind.

Bellamy rubs my shoulder gently. "It's going to be fine. She'll be asking me a bunch of questions anyway."

I humph. "I suppose."

Bellamy places our shared carry-on in the overhead storage and takes a seat next to me. I insisted we take coach, but now looking up at those comfy seats in first class, I regret the decision slightly.

"You alright?" Bellamy asks as we take off. "Mmm." I mumble in response. "I'll be fine in a minute." He squeezes my hand gently. I raise an eyebrow at the kind gesture, but say nothing. Just playing the part, right?

I lean back in my seat, and start thinking. When did Bellamy get so goddamn tender anyway? When we first met he was so formal with me; he called me Miss Griffin for like a week. When did that all change? We were sorta friends, but we didn't like tell each other stuff. We just hung out a lot and got along well.

"What are you thinking about?" I shake my head. "Nothing in particular. Just stuff." I sigh and shuffle a little in my seat. The flight is only four hours. I have fours till I have see everyone back home. I smile slightly. I get to see Wells, too. That's a positive side. But my mom and my stepfather, and- I sigh again.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"God, Bellamy you act like your my mother. I'm fine." I run my hands through my hair. "No. I'm not fine. I don't care to see my mother." He make a sympathetic noise, but doesn't say anything. Probably because I keep biting his head off about it.

"Clarke, I don't know what shit went down with your mom, but you've still got her, okay? I would give anything to have my mom back, even if it was just to fight her."

"Well that's easy for you to say." I pause. "My mom, she got my dad killed." Bellamy's breath hitches.

"Both my parents worked for the state. My dad found out things he shouldn't have, some sort of terrible secret or scandal. He wasn't a bad guy, he just wanted the truth to come out. He thought the people deserved to know. He was about to go public, but my mom turned him in." I shake away the tears. "He went to jail for treason. He had a life sentence, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway." I pause and collect myself. "He had diabetes pretty bad. He needed insulin what seemed like constantly. The guards, well they slacked off. The shipments didn't always come in, and they didn't care. He died alone," My voices catches, and I can't help the tears that are falling freely.

"How long ago did this happen?"

"My first year of college. I wasn't even home."

"God," Bellamy puts an arm around me and rubs my back. "I had no idea. I'm sorry for trying to pry that out of you," I wipe away the tears quickly. "I just don't like to talk about it."

I plaster on a smile. "I'll be fine. Especially with you here." Bellamy does indeed make things easier. I'm not facing it all alone.

As we exit the plane after grabbing our luggage, I take Bellamy's hand. My thoughts are racing, my mother is one thing, but there's another person I'm concerned with seeing again. "Bell, there's another thing I need to talk to you about. I-"

"Clarke!" Before I have a chance to say anything, I am greeted by the sight of my mother. Bellamy grips my hand tighter. She pulls me into a hug. "And you must be Bellamy." She hugs him just as vigorously.

"Mother." I say calmly. She smiles brightly. "It's great to see you." I nod slightly in reply. I won't honestly agree. She senses the tension, and tries to glaze over it.

"Bellamy told me what time your flight was landing, so I thought it would be best to pick you up. Marcus wanted to come, too."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, okay. I'm sure."

She pauses awkwardly. "My car is out there."

"So Bellamy, what do you do?" After a few drinks, the inquisition has begun. Marcus has joined us as well, and sits judging which is utterly stupid because he isn't my father."I work for a company called ArkTech. I am a financial overseer, I manage logistics, and ensure everyone is delegated a task."

My mom nods, seemingly appeased. "So how much do you make?" Marcus asks. "God, Marcus! You can't ask that." Bellamy feigns an awkward laugh to try to break the tension. "He makes plenty of money. It shouldn't matter how much."

"So how did you meet?" My mom changes the subject. I allow a smile to touch my lips, but before I have a chance to answer, Bellamy speaks.

"Clarke came and gave physicals at my work last year, you know for health insurance. She was funny and bright, and we got along really well. We exchanged numbers, got to know each other better, went on a few dates, and then became official. It wasn't long before I knew she was the one."

My mother squints at us. "It's all rather sudden, don't you think? You've only known each other a year."

Bellamy and I look at each other. "It feels like it's been longer." I smile.

"Are you pregnant?" Marcus asks.

I glare at him. "No,"

"Well I'm glad you've find someone, after..." Her voice trails off.

I push her comment aside. "Bellamy and I are very happy."

AN:

Sorry, things have been crazy because of the holidays, so I haven't been able to update. But hopefully will post more consistently. Enjoy! More exciting tension and jealousy coming next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

"Well we're exhausted. I think we're going to go to bed." I grab Bellamy's arm. "Goodnight."

"Your room is open." My mother calls after us as I pull him along upstairs.

"God, my mother is obnoxious." I say as I shut the door.

Bellamy shrugs. "She cares a lot about you. She's trying to prove it to you." I bite my lip. "I do think she loves me. But I can't. Not after what she did. She didn't give him any chance." I grab the luggage bag and start unpacking our stuff.

"Uhh, Clarke?" I look up. "Yeah?"

"There's only one bed?" I roll my eyes, but then sigh. "Yeah,"

"I'll just take the floor." I start to agree, and then shake my head. "The door doesn't lock, and I wouldn't put it past my mother to check up on us throughout the night."

Bellamy's eyes widen slightly at what I am inferring.

"Well, the bed is king-sized. Plenty of room."

He nods a bit hesitantly. "Alright,"

We sort of look at each in awkward silence for a moment.

"I need a shower." I say, breaking the silence. I grab a handful of my clothes and rush into the adjoining bathroom. Jet-lag must have me feeling all screwy and weird, because I don't feel right. A deep uneasiness is settling within me, and I can't pinpoint it.

I let the warm water run over me and think how crazy my life has gotten. At what point do you lie so extensively that you are lying to yourself? Massaging the shampoo out of my hair, I consider Bellamy who is probably asleep by now in the other room. He's a good guy, I mean, he's alright. He's attractive, smart. rich. Maybe too obsessed with work, but even that hasn't been that bad lately.

After I dry off and squeeze some of the water out of my hair, I reach for my clothes. "Oh shit. No, dammit." In my haste to get in the shower, I forgot to put them in a safe place, and so instead they got soaked.

I sigh heavily and wrap a towel around me.

I humph at my computer. That idiot Dax didn't put the files online correctly, so I can't access them to make sure they're right. How am I supposed to fix this from here? The bathroom door opens and Clarke comes out, looking slightly sour. I try my hardest not to notice that all she has around her is a small towel and that she is fresh from the shower and practically dripping wet. I turn back to the computer screen and try to ignore her, but she grumbles under breath to the point where I can't ignore her.

"What's wrong?" I ask, looking up. Her hair makes her look like an angel, all golden and uncontrolled. She gives me a frustrated look. "My clothes got wet." I pause. "That sucks."

She roots through the drawers where I unpacked everything , but while she is doing that, the towel start slipping from it's position. Her breasts are dangerously close from being exposed, and I can't tell if I want them to be or not. She's not meaning to show everything, and I feel as if continuing to watch is taking advantage, so I clear my throat and focus on my laptop.

She eventually finds what she is looking for, and then retreats back to the bathroom. I sigh in relief. She's beginning to make my heart pound faster, and it's not something I can just erase.

Because my normal night clothes have become soaked, I have nothing but an over-sized t-shirt to wear. It's just Bellamy, I tell myself. Not a big deal. I dress as quickly as I can, blow dry my hair slightly, and return to the room. Bellamy is still sitting on the bed, typing on his laptop. He looks up at me, but then back down, not saying anything. "Feel better?" He asks a little distractedly. "Uh huh." I hang my towel and start to hang up my wet clothes. "Why don't I just take these to the dryer?" Bellamy offers. "Really?" I am completely exhausted and don't feel like dealing with anything anymore. He grabs the pile from me. "Downstairs to the left." I inform him.

I find the laundry room with little trouble, and quickly throw the pile in and start the dryer.

"Oh, Bellamy." I turn around, and Mrs. Griffin - or is it Kane now? - is standing there. I summon a smile. "Hi, just throwing some of Clarke's things in here, she accidentally got them soaked." Abby nods and shifts a little like she wants to say something. After a pause, she speaks hurriedly. "Thank you, for everything."

I raise an eyebrow. "What did I do?"

"You brought Clarke back. I know she wouldn't have come back here unless you insisted." I nod. "She hates me, I know she does. And I deserve it. What I did was unforgivable, I know. I fucked up. I wasn't thinking, I didn't..." She looks at me with such heartbreaking sadness, that I immediately pity her.

"I love Clarke, even if she doesn't want me in her life anymore, so I'm glad that you can be there for her. I can see how much you love her. Take good care of her, okay? She's my baby."

In a moment's decision, I give her a hug. "I will."

When I return to the room, Clarke is laying in bed asleep. I change quickly in to my pajama pants and a v neck, and slide into bed beside her. "What took you so long?" She asks, her voice addled with sleep. "Nothing." I push the hair out of her face and settle in. "Go back to sleep."

"So you used to love this place?" Bellamy asks as we walk into the cafe. A smile touches my lips. "I used to come here all the time. It's a great place." He grabs my hand. "I'm excited to try it."

I push open the door, holding in my excitement. My mother hadn't bothered to make breakfast this morning, so I took the opportunity to return to my favorite little cafe while I lived here. The atmosphere was always great, and they make the best apple crumble.

As we enter the cafe, I see a man sitting at a table with his back to us. I doesn't take me much more than a minute to know exactly who it is, and panic sets in. "You know what, Bell, let's go somewhere else. I'm not really in the mood for it anymore." He keeps walking. "What are you talking about? You really wanted to come here." I grab his arm as tightly as I can. "I want to go. Now," He stops and tries to look into my eyes, but my head is down. "Clarke, what's wrong?"

At the sound of my name, the person stands up and walks over to us.

"Clarke!" In the midst of Clarke's freak out session, a man with shoulder-length brown hair walks over to us. Clarke tenses beside me, and I pull her closer. "Who's this?" I ask. The man looks at me as if noticing me for the first time.

"I'm Finn. Clarke never mentioned me?" I smile with faux sincerity. "No." "How are you, Finn?" Clarke manages to croak out a few words, but her voice doesn't take on her usual amount of strength. He shuffles around awkwardly. "I'm good. I've been good." She regains a little bit of her composure, and straightens her spine.

"How rude of me, this is my fiance, Bellamy Blake." I put my hand on the small of her back as she says this. Finn gives me yet another once over. "Fiance?" I smile as broadly as I can. "She couldn't keep me away."

I pull her in even closer and she smiles up at me. Finn looks at us uncomfortably. "Well, I'll just leave you to your breakfast then." I look into Clarke's eyes and see she is not okay. "Actually we have a sudden lack of hunger for breakfast foods." I smirk and allow Finn to assume any number of things. "I think we're going to go back home."

On the car ride home, Clarke remains entirely silent, and I don't pry her for information. Obviously that guy was some sort of asshole, and if she wants to talk about him, she will. We quickly arrive back to her mom's house, and she gets out mumbles how she'll be upstairs.

I stand in the entry way in contemplation for a few minutes. Is this the kind of time where she just wants to be alone alone and not talk about it, or where she wants sympathy and a shoulder to cry on? I think of when Octavia used to have boy trouble she usually just wanted to eat ice cream and cry to me about it, so I decide to do just that for Clarke.

After a little bit of searching, I find a freezer full of different kinds of ice cream. "What are you looking for Bellamy?"

Once again, Abby has managed to sneak up on me. I smile sheepishly. "Ice cream for Clarke."

She nods knowingly. "Did she start her period?" I shake my head. "No, we were going to breakfast when we ran into some guy. Finn?" Abby pauses. "Oh god." She shakes her head before I can even form a sentence. "She'll tell you."

She pats me on the shoulder gently and starts to walk away. "And definitely go with the Double Fudge. Best for this type of situation." She smiles sadly and then she's gone.

When I return to the room with a huge bowl of ice cream, Clarke is lying in bed staring off into space. "Bellamy?" She looks up at me when I enter. I smile. "I brought you a healthy delicious breakfast." She laughs quietly and sits up, patting the space beside her.

"I'm a grown ass woman, and yet exes still upset me." She huffs. "So he was an ex?"

She takes a bite and leans up against the wall. "The worst."

"You don't have to talk about." She sighs. "No, you deserve an explanation."

"I've known Finn for awhile. He moved here when we were in middle school and we became friends right away. It was different with him, it was always different. I just sort of knew that we would never really just be friends, you know?" I nod.

"We started dating during my sophomore year, and all through out high school. I really thought I loved him. We - we had sex once, but after that one time, I didn't feel comfortable with it. It had been uncomfortable and I wanted to wait. He acted like it was totally fine, and we continued like normal. We became long distance while I went away to college, but he planned on moving there sometime soon. After all the shit with my dad went down, I just needed him. I needed to see him. I bought a plane ticket out here and was going to surprise him, and oh boy did I. I walked in on him fucking another girl." She pauses and exhales.

"He had been seeing her for two years. He was cheating on me for two years." She takes another bite of ice cream.

When my heart starts breaking for her, that's how I know.

I'm beginning to fall for her.

AN:

I am so sorry it has taken me forever to update! Every time I sat down to write this chapter I kept getting distracted, but here it finally is! I can't promise when the next one will be because I'm starting school again, but I'll try to get another one out before the week is over.

Hopefully this chapter seemed to answer some of the questions? The reason why Clarke is so hot and cold is because half the time she's pretending, and the other half she wants to make sure they are clearly defining the lines. She's scared of blurring their relationship and actually becoming involved because she's not sure what it'd mean. I mean basically it'd be like marrying a guy she just started liking.

Anyway, enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9

Clarke spends the rest of the afternoon laying in bed, and I try not to hover over her like a shadow. I know she is going to be fine, but I still worry that she thinks she has to suffer alone. But in a way, I don't know if I can be around her. Cause god. God, I still have to process my feelings for her, and I'm not sure if I actually want to. I know she doesn't feel the same, and damn I don't know if I can marry her when I actually...have feelings for her.

So instead of hanging around Clarke, I find myself talking to her step-dad. "You really like her?" Marcus asks. I smile. "She's everything to me." I falter a little at the almost reality of that statement. He nods. "But why get married so soon? Abby and I are worried that you are moving too fast." There is actual concern on Marcus's face. He actually cares about Clarke, even though he might take a more tough approach. "We love each other, and we know we don't want to be with anyone else. There's no reason to wait." I breathe out slowly as I answer. Marcus almost smiles. "I can tell you both are in love. But young people can make reckless decisions, and I don't want you to jump into something and then regret it." I smile, but heart drops a little. I don't know how I can do this to her parents.

As our conversation is coming to a close, Abby walks in. "The Jaha's are going to come over for dinner tonight before you guys leave." That name sparks something in my memory. "Jaha? Wells Jaha was Clarke's best friend, right?" Abby nods. Meeting someone who knows Clarke possibly the best: this will be the real test. Abby looks around real quick. "Is Clarke still upstairs?" I nod slowly. Abby sighs. "Would you try to talk to her? Tell her to get up and take a shower?" I nod.

I knock slowly on the door. "Clarke, honey, can I come in?" I hear a muffled noise, so I open the door. Clarke is still lying in bed, but she's just reading thankfully, not moping. I slowly walk over to her.

"Clarke," I rub her back slightly. "Clarke, your mom invited the Jaha's over for dinner, you should probably get up. They'll be here soon." Clarke mutters noncommittally. "Clarke." I kneel at the side of the bed. "You gotta get up, take a shower." She sighs. "I know." "Come on." I grab her shoulders. "I just want to wallow a little." She grumbles. "Clarke, I know that he hurt you, but you are worth so much more than that. Look at you now, you are confident, and beautiful, and talented, and that goddamn bastard doesn't deserve you." She looks me in the eye. "Thank you, Bellamy." She hugs me quickly.

Thelonius and Wells Jaha arrive at a little after 6, and Clarke immediately greets them excitedly. I hang back a little, simply watching her interact. This is what she looks like when she is truly happy. "Wells, I want you to meet my fiance, Bellamy." "Bellamy! It's nice to finally meet you!" Wells surprisingly pulls me into a hug. "You too." I reply, a little thrown off.

Us three sit in the living room for a little bit while Marcus finishes cooking, and Wells asks us the typical questions. "So you are getting married in 5 months?" "Four and a half, actually." Clarke smiles. "Do you have everything planned out?" She nods. "Yeah, we have a basic idea of what we want, and we have a possible venue lined up." She grabs my hand. "We are thinking something small, intimate."

Wells smiles, and then shakes his head. "I can't believe you are about to get married, Griffin." She smiles brightly. "It's all been a whirlwind."

Dinner progresses fairly normally. Thelonious asks me about my work, and Abby and Marcus seem pretty content for once. Even Wells seems really to like me, and approve of Clarke and I's relationship.

At the end of the night, he pulls me aside quietly. "Look, Bellamy, I wasn't very sure of you at first. But I can tell that you're a good guy who'll treat her right. Finn, Finn really fucked her up and messed with her perspective on relationships, but you make her happy again. I can tell. Thank you."

AN:

I am a horrible person. I really am. I've been meaning to post another chapter, but I just kept getting caught up in homework and other stuff. And this chapter is short, so I am super sorry. I will try to post another one later today, but no promises.


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